Restaurant Impossible Returns - Without Robert Irvine

Photo - Warner Bros. Discovery

On Thursday night July 23rd at 8pm ET on Food Network, Restaurant Impossible returns, but without Robert Irvine. Robert Irvine hosted the show for 20+ seasons and the last episode that aired with him was in 2023.  In the reboot called Restaurant Impossible: Last Call, Aaron Sanchez and Jen Agg will be doing the restaurant makeovers

From the press release from Warner Bros. Discovery:

"Then, Restaurant Impossible: Last Call premiering Thursday, July 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT is a fresh take on a classic. The series will follow acclaimed chef Aarón Sánchez and dynamic Canadian restaurateur Jen Agg as they lead the charge to rescue struggling restaurants across North America. Their goal is not to formulate quick fixes; they will dig into real problems, adapt to a new and challenging restaurant industry, and find creative, unexpected solutions tailored to each business. While Jen tackles design and front-of-house issues, Aarón gets to work on the culinary side, each assessing exactly what needs to change for the restaurant to thrive. From horrendous Yelp reviews to feuding family members, each episode will reflect the varying challenges today’s restaurateurs face. Emotions will run high, and the stakes are critical as Aarón and Jen strategize each location’s rescue plan, all while navigating the greater changes happening in an industry being forced to evolve. Fans can stay tuned to Food Network's social pages to hear from Aarón and Jen before each restaurant overhaul and learn their do’s and don'ts about running a successful eatery in 2026."

Many fans of Restaurant Impossible were upset to see this change, some of which reached out to Robert Irvine to see why he wasn't going to be on the show.  He responded to many fans on X.com and a lot of the responses have the same information as the one below:

When a fan asked if he was available to do the show, he responded, 

"Susie they asked me to do the new show with a new crew in Canada and I am a loyal guy after 15 yrs working with Tom, Tanya , Lynn and all the volunteers I could not start in Canada with new folks because of tax credits.. k believe that they are using one off my old designers in the show as she lives in Canada .. wish them luck .. I know that we made a difference every show as it wasn’t tv . It was really helping real people with real problem and we gave real solutions.. I created the show and took it world wide that’s something I’m proud off. Also still keep in touch with those we helped .. that’s all I hit"

So, it seems that Robert Irvine had the option to do Restaurant Impossible in Canada, but stayed loyal to his team that has been with him over the years.  It is surprising they are using the Restaurant Impossible name for the new show as there have been multiple other restaurant makeover shows that have appeared on Food Network, but none ever used the name "Restaurant Impossible."  It will be odd seeing the show without Robert Irvine.

Restaurant Impossible: Last Call will use a budget of $20,000 and use three days to makeover the restaurants that appear on the show.  I will still do updates on the restaurants that appear on the show and post them on the blog and on Restaurant Impossible Updates.  I also plan to go through and update restaurants from previous seasons of the show because some are still marked as open when they are closed.